How to Live with Confidence - James 5:1,4-11,13-20

James lived and wrote during the days of the early church when men survived by charging others falsely and by taking advantage of men at every turn possible. History has been written in waves of good and evil, wealth and poor, and life has been lived by people that know what it means to be on the mountain top one day and in the valley low on the succeeding day.

No other nation has ever had an error of extended competent leadership that exceeds ours. Some of you would say that our blessed days started earlier and ended later than I would; however I would think that we will somehow agree that our greatest helm in leadership started with many of the only men in our history that can be considered as true statesmen. These were the men that came to America seeking freedom of religion and a way to have confidence in government leadership.

The documentary descriptions of acceptable ways that will help us live with confidence and historical evidence of the way things were, all were saturated with the words of God, Christ and Holy Spirit. This segment of American history lasted about two hundred years, and drew sharply to an end in the mid 1900s when the name of God, Christ and Spirit became detrimental and unacceptable among many.

Allow me to pause and remind you that our lesson title for today is “HOW TO LIVE WITH CONFIDENCE” And now I will remind you that there is no way anyone can live with confidence if we must eliminate the man and word “God” from our vocabulary and prayer from our ever day life.

Look at the way this last chapter of James warns the rich oppressors of any day—then or now. “Now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you, and eat your flesh like fire. You have horded wealth in the last days. Look! You are not paying those who are due wages and their cries are reaching out to God. I dare you to read this passage carefully and compare it to what is happening today in our government. It is difficult for anyone to have confidence in the things that are happening in Washington today. I regretfully must tell you that of all the men involved in American Government today, the people that form the greatest risk against our nation is the House, Senate, Supreme Court and the President. It is difficult for me to explain how we can live with confidence in our elected officials today.

John Milton once said, “There is nothing that makes men rich and strong but that which they carry inside of them. Wealth is of the heart, not of the hand.” This quotation could have come from the first six verses of the last chapter of James. Both men have let us know that the love for riches is the destroyer. Neither has condemned a rich man saying that he is worthless.

It is a matter of fact that we have more confidence in men that live uprightly and practice loyalty even when they may not reach the highest of heights here on earth. Our elected officials have reached an all time low in true character and honesty. The crime rate and illicit and immoral action is higher among this 525 member group in Washington than any of the groups like the NFL, AFL, NBA or even the pill popping baseball association.

So, how do we live in today’s world with any degree of confidence? The answer is simple. Change the object of your trust from man to God. We can always trust in God, for He will not fail. How can you know this to be true?
There is only one way and that is by communicating with God often and believing his word. His word comes through the reading of the Bible and his personal direction for you will come as a result of the answers to your prayers.

In closing this lesson we see that James offers a faith that works and does it by using more of the personal teachings of Christ than any other writer, including Matthew. Some individual examples are:

When you life is full of difficulties and persecutions, be glad because an award awaits you.

You are to be perfect, mature, and complete, not lacking in anything.
Ask God, and he will answer.

Those who are humble and worth little in man’s sight should rejoice as those that God loves most.

Watch out for your anger…it can be dangerous.

Be merciful to others, as God is merciful to you.

You faith expresses itself in helping others.

Blessed are the peacemakers….

You can not serve God and money.

Treasures on earth are useless until they are stored in heaven [5: 2].

Be honest in you speech so you can say a simple “yes” or “no” and always be trusted [5: 12].

Who Is Your Best Friend? - James 4:1-17

My wife walked in to my office just as I started to write this lesson and I ask her “Who is your Best Friend”. “You,” she answered quickly, trying to make me feel good, as is her usual desire to always make others feel good when it is possible. I suggested that she should reconsider her answer when she thinks about the only one that would never, ever let her down. She reluctantly agreed that she should have said that Christ was her Best Friend. When anyone has been married to the same person for fifty years or more, and has been blessed with a happy relationship, it is difficult to realize that anyone, other than the spouse, can be considered a better friend. However, we must realize that Jesus has never ever, let us down one single time; and never will—and that makes Him our very best friend.

As we together study this lesson I pray that God will help us see how we can behave as His friend. God must show us the necessity of being a friend of God by being friends of men and by simply living the life of the golden rule—where we do unto others as we would that they do to us.

James taught us to seek wisdom. In chapter three, James emphasizes the need for wisdom of men in the church. He teaches us the dangers of a loose tongue, and exhorted us to watch our words carefully. After many years in the church it is time to look back and find those who have been steadfast in both word and deed. You will find that your best friend [friends] in the church are those who experience and practice sincere love for others while expecting nothing in return.

Look back over your worst days in life. Most likely the worst of your days have been those when you were quarreling and even fighting each other or one another. The worst of days come when you want something but do not get your way. Do you know why you do not get things you desire most? James says that it is because you do not ask God; or if you ask God and do receive your desire it is because you ask with the wrong motive. The wrong motive is that your desire is for self-satisfaction and does not include the desires of others.

James is setting before his people a basic question—whether their aim in life is to submit to the will of God or to gratify their own desires for the pleasures of the world. We can look about us and see a raging conflict among people and wars between nations and know that this constant and bitter conflict is nothing more or less than selfish desires. The Ten Commandments closes in the forbidding of covetousness or desire—for selfish desire is the worst of all the passions of the soul.

Conflicts and disputes among believers are always harmful. James explains that these quarrels result from evil desires battling within us. Man has a nature that causes him to want more possessions, more money, higher status, and more recognition. When this sin reaches its zenith, we are willing to fight others who get in our way. Our faith is not strong enough to believe that God will help us eliminate our selfish desire if we will only trust him to give us what we really need.

Do you trust God at all? When you seldom do, what do you talk about? Be honest—do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? James says our big problem is that we do not ask; or we ask for the wrong reasons. Our prayers become powerful and bring the right answers when we pray that God will change our motives so that our desires will always correspond to His will for us.

Look at verse four and you will see that your best friend can not be of the world because anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. This book says that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore; we are to submit ourselves to God and resist the devil—and when we do the devil will flee from us. God will lift up the humble. There is a war taking place at this moment between the Master and the devil and we do not need to wait until the end-time to see who will win.

If God is you best friend [and he is] how can you draw near your best friend? James gives us five ways here in this short space in the bible. 1. Submit to Him and yield to his authority. 2. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 3. Wash your hands and purify your heart…do right. 4. Morn and grieve for your sins…repent. And 5, humble your-self before Him.

We can be humble only by recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. We work using His power and His guidance willingly.
James tells us that we must be very careful about our boasting of what we will do tomorrow. We have no promise of tomorrow. Life is ours only as we live each moment…it is as a mist that appears for a moment and is driven away by the winds if time. Our promise or proclamation should always begin with the preface “If it is the Lord’s will I will do the best I can with what I have. We should never boast or brag for that is evil. However we should always do that which we know to be right and good because to know to do right and fail to do it sins.

Jesus Christ is my best friend, He died for me. I was dead in trespasses and in sin until He purchased my freedom and when I accepted his love for me I automatically became his best friend. It is now my responsibility to prove to Him that I am proving my sincerity by my daily life in Christ.

How to Sail Through Life - James 3:1-18

There are only eighteen verses in the third chapter of James. The first twelve verses deal with the impossibility of taming the tongue; and the last six verses discusses the two kinds of wisdom and the importance of having and using genuine wisdom. Even after reading the writing by James and looking at several commentaries I am still having difficulties understanding where the author of EXPLORE THE GOSPEL, got his inspiration to tell us “How to Sail Through Life” using this scripture as our reference material.

Maybe I can squeeze it into a compressed form that simply says; “If you want to sail through life with little difficulty, you must first get wisdom and then learn to bridle your evil tongue.”

James starts his dissertation by warning many of us that it is a mistake for us to become teachers. In James’ day teachers were of first rate importance, they were honored, and even ranked with the prophets. In Acts 13: 1, they are listed as number two on the list of those with great gifts in the church. New born Christians were handed over to the teachers of the church to be admonished in the way that was right. Those that failed became known as false teachers. There were two major problems with most false teachers. One problem was that they would become interested in teaching in order to turn Christianity into another kind of Judaism which also required circumcision and keeping other acts of the Law. A second major problem was found with those who did not live honorable lives, thus bringing dishonor to the faith.

It is interesting to note that James thinks teaching is dangerous also because it requires a man to use the tongue and considers the tongue as a dangerous weapon. He simply reminds us that we have not been able to control or bridle the tongue and that it still causes problems among people. \For this reason, it will inherently be dangerous for one to try to teach truth using an instrument that he can not control.

Teachers must teach those that are young in age—or new converts who are just children in the faith. He must teach the truth and not his opinion or prejudices. Teachers are in double jeopardy in that they not only have to teach the truth but they must also live the truth or they are practicing hypocrisy.

Ames has never been surpassed in his teachings regarding the problems that are brought on by the misuse of the tongue. If you will take a few moments to study the severity of problems that are brought about by lack of tongue control you will be amazed at the insight one gets from the book of James. It is amazing how we are able to control other organs of the body to perform perfectly and without problems and then find it impossible to control one of the smallest organs of the body. James takes us back to the day of creation and reminds us that man was placed in control of all the wild beast of the forest; a job which we have done well—and then he reminds us that we do not have control over our own tongue.

Jesus reminds us that we use the same tongue to curse the father that has afforded our greatest blessings and we bless the one whom we worship with the same organ—the tongue. James cries out to us that we should not allow this conflict to take place in our bodies because of the misuse of the same organ. He says that our own experience teaches us that there is a cleavage in human nature. In some ways we are as an ape and in some we are like an angel—something of a hero and something of a villain—something of a saint and something of a sinner. James says that there is no other place where these things are more evident than in the function of the tongue of man. Ben Franklin once said that “A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.”

James tied the follow of teaching in with the unskillful use of the tongue. I suppose that in a nutshell we have found that you should not rush to be a teacher. It is dangerous, for everyone stumbles when he talks too much. James talks about control of a horse with a small bit under his tongue and the fact that a huge ship can be guided with accuracy by the attachment of a small rudder. In both cases; man has control. In the same powerful way the human body and human will is guided by the tongue; however for some reason man does not have the ability to control the tongue.

James states that one God’s main idea is that he wants his people to control their tongues and to seek true wisdom and use it as their guide through life. As you read on through this chapter you will find that those who misuse the tongue receive God’s condemnation.

Show Me Your Faith - James 2:14-26

At eighty-five and still teaching a group of men with great faith, I feel so fortunate. There are no proclaimed teachers in the Faith Builders Class. They don’t preach from a pulpit. Only a few down through the years have served as a deacon, and none write professionally about their faith. But no week goes by that some are not out there showing others their faith. They build churches or repair old ones. They bend nails for Christ. One of our members has no feet. He lives next door to me and seldom has a day gone by that one of our faithful members is not at his door to cheer him on through his many troubles and trials.

Not one of these men has ever bragged about their faith; and if we had to listen to hear them tell of their faith we would never know. Our community only has to watch what is happening to see their faith at work. We simply have to watch for visitors delivering the fruit or vegetables that are in season to someone in need. We see new wheel chair ramps that show up at houses where there is a need for one; and all kinds of repairs being made in the homes of many widows who are members of our church, and there are countless repairs made at our church [some major] and there are no charges ever made for their labors of love.

SHOW ME YOUR FAITH, the title of our lesson today is based on the last twelve verses of chapter two. It is short and easy to read, and this is a good place for you to stop and read it slowly. James starts this lesson with a relevant question to all Christians. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?”

I may be in error, but I think not when I tell you that I believe Paul had his mind on a contrast between faith and works of the Jewish Law. The Law required circumcision and Paul taught that circumcision would not save; and therefore should not be required of anyone in order to be saved. The law taught that we should not commit adultery but Paul taught that living a morally clean life would not save you. The law says that we must have no other god except Jehovah God. However, Paul would say that having no other god will not save you. Paul would continue and say that living a morally clean life or having only one God are both necessary to prove to others that you are saved. They would be necessary to obey God. You can read the scripture in Romans 3: 28 that I have based my opinion upon. “A man is not justified by works of the law” but through faith in Jesus Christ.

The most of us in our class do not feel that Paul and James have a difference of opinion. Many of those who are looking for an argument think they have one here. Let me first remind you that this argument is not just between Paul and James…but the difference is found throughout the New Testament. John the Baptist taught that men should prove the reality of their repentance by the excellence of their deeds [Mat. 3:8, and Luke 3; 8.]. It is odd and interesting for me to find these two verses are word for word the same. Jesus taught that men should so live in this world so men can see their good works and God be glorified.

I do not believe that Paul ever intended to say that faith was all important and that works are any less important. He did feel that each came to a man for a different reason. The first and most important expression of man’s faith is the act of fully accepting God’s grace and being saved by so doing. He did not deny that works would come next because one has faith and is willing to prove it by his good works. Jesus insisted that it is by man’s fruits that we know him. When you gather a peach from a tree, you know the name of the tree. The thorn tree will never produce a peach. One writer asked the question. “Would a good father give his son a snake?’

Paul did not remove his emphasis on the importance of good works. However doctrinal and theological his letters may be, they never fail to end with a section in which the expression of Christianity in deeds is insisted upon. Paul repeatedly makes it clear the importance he attaches to deeds as part of the Christian life. In Romans 2: 6 he tells us that God will render to every man according to his works. In Romans 14: 12, he insists that every one of us shall give an account of ourselves to God. I first Corinthians he says that we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that every one may receive good or evil, according to what we have done in the body. Paul teaches that the judgment of the lost man will be to determine what he has done WITH CHRIST, and that the judgment of the saved man will be to determine what he has DONE FOR CHRIST.

The narrow minded may hold that James was at variance with Paul; for in spite of all we have said, Paul’s main emphasis is upon grace and faith as the only way to salvation—and James’ main emphasis is upon action and works. Neither is wrong. Neither denies the other. In fact, in more than one place in the Bible both agree that both are right. James is simply confirming that we can not accept salvation without allowing it to have any influence upon our lives. The Devil believes [he is intellectually convinced that God exists] and he even trembles because of his knowledge; but his belief has never altered his wicked ways.

There is no contradiction here but there is still a difference between James and Paul. The difference is that they start their proclamations at two different times. Paul bases his writing upon the beginning of salvation. He insists, and is right to do so, that no man can earn the free grace of God: a man can only accept the forgiveness that God offers through Christ. He can only be saved by believing.

James starts later when the professing Christian claims that he already been forgiven and is now in a new relationship with Christ. James says that this man must live a new life because he is now a new creature. He has already been justified by grace through his faith in Christ—in order to prove this to God, himself and others, he must show by his actions that he is being sanctified daily by his good works, that is—by keeping God’s commandments…and Paul fully agrees with this. We are not saved by our deeds; but we are saved for our deeds.

This thesis continues with a strong and emphatic question that each of us must answer. Were we saved as we thought, guessed or proclaimed if we have no good works to prove that we are saved? It is obvious that James can not accept a claimed profession in Christ without practice of words and deeds that prove it. We must remember that both of these men are writing during the time when to a Jew almsgiving was of paramount importance. In fact the giving of alms was considered as a man’s only defense when he was being judged by God.

I will see you here again next week. Am already wondering why I became a teacher. If you teach or have taught, you may find the lesson to be interesting. As a member only, you are not without responsibility.

Let's Be Fair About It - James 2:1-13

Allow me to start thinking about some of the most relevant parts of this lesson by quoting from God’s word—“Judge not lest you be judged by the same judgment.” Are you prone to judge others? Would you prefer to be judged by Almighty God or by your piers? Which is more likely to be fair, honest an unbiased while making judgment on you? Personally, I prefer my judge to be God or his Son, because I truly believe they are the only one that can be “FAIR ABOUT IT.” Other judges {you and I} all of us, have some pre-conceived notions that could prevent our sincerity and make it impossible for us to render an honest verdict.

What is “it?” “It” is favoritism. “It” may be pride, prejudice, or our belief that we have a right to pre-judge others based on what we think, or know to be bible based. I am not without sin. Favoritism toward some…or a bias against others for our personal reason is sin. We should be able to admit or sin and be willing to search our hearts for ways that we can be forgiven and seek ways to prevent the same sins from reoccurring in our life. What causes my problem with favoritism or bias?

Here are a few examples that cross my mind. If I were serving as a juror at your trial where you were falsely charged you would be more likely to be found guilty if you: 1. had your arms covered with tattoos. 2. Were a man with a pony-tail and/or ear rings. 3. Were women with a diamond stud in your tongue or a mini-skirt, with low and revealing v-neck blouse and high-heal shoes. 4. Were a teen-ager wearing tight, body-fit genes, low-down in the back, showing a big skinny V, and long legs with two inches walked ragged under your heals. 5. You may make a perfect appearance [in my sight] but admit that you are a conscientious-objector and have refused to serve our country when called upon. 6. It will not be in your favor if I know that you are well-bodied and living on well-fare.

Now, in my minds-eye none of the above examples are desirable and all of the examples paint a picture of a person that I do not admire, however, so far as I know, neither of the above examples is a committed sin or wrong, or would prove that a crime had been perpetrated. After reading our lesson for today’s discussion I found that James teaches that favoritism is judgmental [James 2: 1-4]. Favoritism is Unreasonable [2:57]. And favoritism is sinful [2: 8-13].

The lesson today covers the teaching of James as recorded in the first thirteen verses of chapter two. We are fortunate when we are able to reduce the necessary reading to as few as thirteen verses; and so I recommend that you take the extra time necessary and read carefully these first verses. You can be sure that the message intended has been completely covered in the fewest number of words possible.

In the second chapter James argues against favoritism and for the necessity of good deeds. He presents three principles of faith. First, he says that commitment is an essential part of faith. You cannot be a Christian simply by affirming the right doctrines or agreeing with Biblical facts 2: 19. You must commit your heart and mind to Christ. Second, right actions are the natural and normal byproducts of true faith. There are no exceptions; a genuine Christian will start living a changed life.

Faith without good deeds does not do anyone any good. This teaching found here in James is consistent with Paul’s teaching that we receive salvation by faith alone. Paul emphasizes the PURPOSE of faith is to bring us salvation. James emphasizes the RESULTS of faith is a changed life.

In the first seven verses James condemns acts of favoritism. Even so, we know that people still look at the clothes we wear; the way we dress; the way we smell. Some of us allow the wearing of gaudy clothes, long hair, nose rings, and tattoos to affect our way of judging others. We probably think of some of these as being failures, and we do not want to be identified with them. The rich still have problems identifying with the poor and in many cases they reject Christ because he was willing to be with, among, and for the poor. The rich prefer to be served, and Christ came to serve others.

Both are deceased and well respected, and should be thought of as honorable citizens of Arkansas; but if they were still living and present in our congregation next Sunday, would you prefer to sit on the pew with J.B.Hunt and Sam Walton or a farmer or auto mechanic? Let me be even more specific; would you prefer to associate with Hunt and Walton because they were both Christian men or because they were rich and famous?
Why is it wrong to use economic status as a means by which we judge others? Wealth may indicate intelligence; wealth may have come because of wise decisions which are always good. Finally, wealth may be the result of hard work with which there can be no wrong. There are the opposites, in that wealth may be inherited; or may have come as a result of greed, selfishness or dishonesty even at our expense. Do you really want to make appearance more important than character?

Do you feel uncomfortable in the presence of the poor? Ever wonder why? Could it be that it makes you aware of your responsibility to those who have less than you have? Do you have a desire to be rich? Be careful that you are not willing to use others who are rich in order to gain the riches you desire. My church has always been one with great financial need and I am guilty of praying for new members that would be financially able to help us with the church finances. This may not be a sin but it is getting close, because I should want new members to be saved in our church. These are selfish motives because both rich and poor are in need of Christian fellowship.

We should never look at the rich and think that they have received a special blessing from God. God does not promise his people any special rewards or riches; in fact he warns us to be ready to suffer as a result of our being willing to serve Him. When Jesus speaks about the poor, he is talking about those who have no money and also about those whose simple values are despised by much of our affluent society. Jesus loves the poor because they prefer to serve others rather than managing others. At no place in God’s word do we find that the rich will go to hell and the poor will automatically go to heaven. Poor people are more aware of their powerlessness and it may be easier for them to realize their need for salvation. The bible definitely states that it will be easier for the poor to accept Christ and that it is sometimes very difficult for a rich man to go to heaven.

In verse eight, he speaks of the royal law, which is the law of our King, Jesus Christ who taught us to love each other as he has loved us. We must love our neighbor as we love ourselves and as Christ loves us. Whether our neighbor is rich or poor makes no difference the command is the same. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”